Training Facilities and Clinical Rotations
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Palmetto Health Richland is a 649-bed, not-for-profit tertiary care hospital. It is one of the largest and most progressive hospitals in the Southeast. It serves as a major referral center for physicians across South Carolina and beyond. Richland serves as the primary teaching facility for the University of South Carolina. Specialty services include high-risk obstetrics, orthopedics, psychiatry, cardiology, oncology, nephrology, neonatology, neurology, neurosurgery, medical/surgical services and pediatrics. In addition, Richland is the only Level 1 trauma center in the 16-county Midlands region. Physically linked to Palmetto Health Richland is the Palmetto Health Heart Hospital, a free-standing 124-bed cardiovascular hospital that includes two intensive care units. Fellows spend 6–7 months at Richland; while rotating at Palmetto Health Richland, they will receive consults from Palmetto Health Richland and the Heart Hospital. Fellows will supervise a team of medical residents and University of South Carolina medical students.
William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Hospital is a 244-bed veterans hospital encompassing acute medical, surgical, psychiatric, and long-term care. It is the largest veterans hospital in the area and provides a strong general infectious disease experience including patients with HIV infection, critical care unit infections and surgical infectious disease problems. Fellows spend 6–7 months at the Dorn VAMC including a month dedicated to microbiology laboratory training.
Immunology Center is our outpatient center HIV and infectious disease care. The Immunology Center, managed through the USC School of Medicine, is the central coordinating body for the federally-funded Ryan White Treatment Extension Act - Part B program, serving an eight-county area in the Midlands of South Carolina. The Immunology Center Ryan White clinic is the largest HIV/AIDS clinic in the region. At this site more than 1400 HIV infected patients are currently enrolled in the Ryan White program. With about 25 new HIV infected patients every month, it is the largest HIV clinic in the region, and is staffed by the Ryan White administration with social services, compliance/adherence support, and mental health and substance abuse services on-site. It also has a dedicated HIV-in-pregnancy clinic and serves a diverse community of many ethnic and social backgrounds. In addition to Ryan White services the Immunology Center also provides a location to see ambulatory infectious disease consults. We are the largest outpatient infectious disease practice in the region. We have a busy practice with a wealth of referrals from the community as well as follow-up patients from the inpatient consultation service. Throughout the two year fellowship training each fellow has 1–2 clinic sessions a week. The fellows build their own patient panel and learn to manage HIV infected patients, long term intravenous antibiotics, and a multitude of ambulatory infectious disease conditions.
Transplant Infectious Disease Rotation: All Fellows will spend one month on a Transplant Infectious Disease rotation. Through an agreement with Emory University this rotation will take place at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to gaining an understanding of the basic approach to the evaluation and treatment of acutely ill transplant, pretransplant, and neutropenic patients, emphasis on the microbiology of disease processes related to transplants and infectious diseases is a major component of the curriculum.
Palmetto Health and University Specialty Clinics Pediatrics: All fellows will spend one month rotating on the Pediatric Infectious Disease service. The rotation will consist of a combination of inpatient consults at Palmetto Health Children's Hospital, antimicrobial stewardship and outpatient pediatric care.
Microbiology Education: Fellows also receive a month of microbiology education and training split between the Dorn VA and Palmetto Health laboratories. During this rotation additional experience will be available through the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP): In the second year, fellows will spend 2-4 weeks rotating on with the antimicrobial stewardship team. Fellows will gain practical experience and understanding in the utility of hospital formularies and antimicrobial stewardship; understand the process in the appropriate selection, dosing, route and administration of antimicrobial agents; gain an appreciation for the financial impact of hospital formularies; and understand the practical aspects of the balance between limiting antimicrobial overuse and the need to provide prompt, adequate antimicrobial therapy. Fellows' responsibilities will include participation in Antimicrobial Stewardship Program committee meetings, antimicrobial stewardship rounds, and other antimicrobial stewardship consults and communications with primary teams during this rotation.
Other: Depending on the individual's interest special arrangements can be made for additional experiences in pediatric infectious disease, public health, antimicrobial stewardship, private practice infectious disease, transplant infectious disease, and international training. Our goal is to tailor the training to the individual fellow's interest and career goals.